Clothes-washing machine.



No. 758,085; Q PATENTED APR. 26, 1904-. R. LOUX & F. B. BUTTERFIELD.

' CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 7, 1903. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 75s,0a5. V PATENTBD APR. 26, 1904.

R. LOUX & P. .5; BUTTERFIELD.

CLOTHES WASHING- MACHINE.

- AIPLIOATION FILED DEC. 7, 1.903. H0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES- iatented April 26, 1904;

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT Loux AND FRANK E. \BUTTERFIELD, or sir. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

CLOTHES-WASHING MACHINE.

. sl ncrrrcmrrom forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,085, dated April 26, 1904.

' Application filed December 7, 1903i Serial No. 184,054 (No modehl To all whom it may concern.

Be it known-thatwe, ROBERT LOUX and FRANK E. BUTTERFIELD, citizens of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes=Washing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

I Our invention relates to improvements in clothes-washing machines, its ob ect be1ng particularly to provide a machine in which diflerent characters of clothes may bethoroughly cleaned without injuring the fabric.

To this end our invention consists in the features of construction and combination hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of our machine. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same partially broken away. Fig. 3 is a section on line 00 m of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a section on line 3/ 3/ of Fig. 2. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are details showing .the supporting means for the auxiliary rolls, and Fig. 8 is a detail of one of said rolls.

In the drawings, A represents a clothes-receptacle provided with feet 2 and lifting-handles 3. Having journal-support in the receptacle is a roll B, made up of a series of interspaced spring-bars 26, secured at their ends in disks 4:, which extend outwardly sufliciently to cause flanges upon the ends of said roll.

- The roll B is provided with a suitable actuating-handle 5. Slidably supported above the ends of the roll B are frames 6, conforming to the periphery of said roll and forming journal-support for a series of auxiliary rolls '7. Upon the ends of the shafts 8 of the rolls 7 are secured disks 9. The frames 6 have pivotal support 10 upon straps 11, the upper endsv of said straps being secured to the under side of a cross-bar 12. The movement of the frames .6 upon their pivots 10 is limited by pins 25,

1n guides 17 upon the outer sides of the receptacle. Movement of the bar 12 upon its supporting-pivots 15 is limited by means of pins 18, carried by the straps 1 1, and with which engage lugs 19, carried by the bars 16.

-The auxiliary rolls 7 are held against the clothes between them and the main roll B with the desired pressure bymeans of springs 20, connected at theirlower ends with the outer sides of the receptacle and at their upper ends with threaded rods 21, extending through the ends of the cross-bar and provided with adjusting-nuts 22.

In order to assist in carrying out the objects of our invention, the auxiliary rolls 7 are made'up of a series of interspaced springbars 23, connecting the end plates 24 of the rollers. e

, In use-the water and clothes being placed in the receptacle, the clothes will be guided between the auxiliary rolls and the main roll, the handle 5 being turned to rotate the rolls and clean the intermediate clothes. In order to compensate for unevenness and bunching in the fabric, the auxiliary rolls may move horizontally in the operation of the machine, as illustratedv in Figs.- 6 and 7. This is accomplished by means of the pivotal connection between the cross-bar 12 and supportingslides 16 and between the frames of the auxiliary rolls and their supporting-straps 11. .As illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, the cross-bar will tilt in one direction, while the frames will turn on their pivots in the opposite directions, thus allowing the frames to move in a substantially horizontal line and holding one of the end auxiliary rolls in contact with the main roll. The spring character of the interspaced bars which make up the main and aux iliary rolls, together with theabove-described movement of said rolls and also the spring support for the cross-bar 12, compensate for all different thicknesses of fabric, as well as unevenness and bunching of the clothes, thereby preventing injury to the same. The flange 4 upon the main roll, together with the disks 8 upon the ends of the auxiliary rolls, will prevent the cloth winding about said rolls.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a Washing-machine, the combination, with a clothes-receptacle, of a main roll journaled therein, a series of auxiliary rolls journaled in frames arranged above said main roll,

I a cross-bar arranged above said frames, straps secured to said cross-bar and pivotally supporting said frame, retractile springs connecting said cross-bar with the clothes-receptacle below, guides vertically slidable upon the sides of said receptacle, and a pivotal conneetion between said guides and cross-bar.

2. In a Washing-machine, the combination, with a clothes-receptacle, and a main roll journaled therein, a series of auxiliary rolls slidably supported above said main roll, spring means for holding said auxiliary rolls in contact with said main roll, and flanges carried by the ends of said main roll, said flanges extending outwardly parallel with the ends of said auxiliary rolls and to a point beyond the axes of said auxiliary rolls.

3, In a washing-machine, the combination with a clothes-receptacle, of a main roll therein, a series of auxiliary rolls journaled in frames arranged above said main roll, a crossbar supported above said receptacle, straps secured to said cross-bar and pivotally supporting said frames, stops limiting the movement of said frames upon their pivots, re-

tractile springs connecting said cross-bar with I said receptacle, bars slidable upon the sides of said receptacle, and pivotally connectedto said cross-bar, and stops limiting the movement of said cross-bar upon its supportingpivots.

4. In a washing-machine, the combination with a clothes-receptacle, of a main roll journaledtherein, a series of auxiliary rolls journaled in frames arranged above said main roll, a cross-bar arranged above .said receptacle,

downwardly-extending straps secured to said cross-bar and pivotally secured to said frame, retraetile springs connecting said cross-bar and said receptacle, and slides supported upon the sides of said receptacle and pivotally connected with said cross-bar.

5. In a washing-machine, the combination with a clothes-receptacle, of a main roll journaled therein, a series of auxiliary rolls journaled in frames arranged above said main roll, dlSkS secured upon the ends of said aux-illary rolls outside their frames, flanges upon the In testimony whereof We affix our'signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

ROBERT LOUX.. FRANK E. BUTTERFIELD.

Witnesses:

H. S. JoHNsoN, EMILY F. O'rrs. 

